Electoral College 101: don't understand the Electoral College? Well, you're not alone. Here's a guide to what it is, how it works, and why it matters.

• Author: Mayer, Elizabeth
• Position: National

What exactly is the Electoral College?

It's not a university, though it sounds like one. It's a group of 538 people (electors) who, according to the Constitution, are responsible for selecting the President and Vice President.

How did this system come about?

When the Constitution was being drafted in 1787, the Framers did not want the President and Vice President to be chosen either by Congress or by the people directly. To establish a role for the states in national elections (as part of our federalist system of government) and to protect the country from what they saw as an ill-informed populace, they devised a system that later came to be known as the Electoral College. They envisioned it as an elite group of distinguished men (there wasn't a female elector until 1912), selected by each state, who could be trusted with choosing the nation's leaders. The system has changed little in 200 years, except that now each state's political parties nominate slates of electors, who are pledged to support their party's candidates.

How many electoral votes does each state get?

The same number as its delegation in Congress: however many seats it has in the House (which is based on population), plus the Senate (always 2). New Jersey, for example, has 13 Representatives, 2 Senators, and 15 electoral votes.

Who is qualified to be an elector?

There are no age restrictions or residency requirements in the Constitution. It's basically up to party officials in each state.

If these 538 electors choose the President, what's Election Day about?

Technically, on Election Day, you're not voting for a presidential candidate (even if his or her name appears on the ballot). You're actually voting for a slate of electors who have pledged to support one of the candidates.

So how does a candidate win?

Each state's electoral votes are awarded on a winner-take-all basis (except in Maine and Nebraska, and Colorado will vote in November on changing its system). In other words, the candidate with the most popular votes in a state (whether the margin of victory is 3 votes or 3 million) gets all of that state's electoral votes. To win, a candidate needs a majority--270--of the 538 electoral votes.

Do electors actually cast their electoral votes?

It's usually a formality, but electors representing the candidate who won the popular vote in each state on Election Day meet in their state capitals in December to cast their votes for President and Vice President. The national...